Limits
by Sabrina06
Summary: Phineas finds out what it feels like to be pushed to the limit. What he doesn't realise is that he's pushed his brother over the limit.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: We all have our limits. Some of us have learned how to work within our own boundaries, others have learned to stretch the boundaries. I have no concrete idea where this story came from, I was taking care of other tasks and this is what started forming in my brain.**

**I would like to extend a thank you to foobar137 for being on the other end of the line and knowingly (or unknowingly) helping out. Also for permitting me to re-use Ferb's 1955 Porsche Spyder from 'Prank Wars'.**

16-year-old Phineas was in his room studying for his history test. _I wish there was a way to make history come alive._ He thought to himself as he read through the dull textbook. He shook his head then continued with the task of making notes for himself. He was startled when he heard someone run up the stairs and down the hallway, swearing.

Phineas opened his bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. He flung himself against the wall as Ferb came rushing out of his room with his equipment bag and another backpack slung over his shoulders. "Slow down Ferb, you're going to…"

Phineas watched as his brother hit the stairs, lost his footing and slid to the bottom. "...hurt yourself." He finished as Ferb took off toward the garage. Phineas heard the slam of the Spyder's trunk, then the roar of the four-cylinder before the unfortunate sound of the gears grinding as Ferb missed reverse.

Dinner was quiet. "Are you ready for your history exam?" Linda asked her son. Phineas nodded back. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I just wish there was a way to bring history alive. I can't believe that with all the exciting and frightening events that took place, a textbook just sucks the life out of it. I was reading about the London Blitz. _'And as the aircraft flew overhead dropping bombs, people cowered in their homes.'_ I'm sure that's an accurate description of what happened, but it doesn't bring the event to life."

Lawrence took a bite of his dinner. "It was a frightening time, that's for sure. One I'd not care to repeat." Phineas turned to his father wide-eyed. "Can you tell me about it?" Lawrence nodded. "After dinner."

The clock in the hall chimed 11:00pm and the sound of Ferb's car pulling into the garage was heard. Ferb walked through the living room into the kitchen. He looked in the fridge for some leftovers. "Ferb." Linda called, causing Ferb to bump his head. "Vivian called, she needs you to fix the brakes on her car. She also would appreciate it if you would clean out her gutters tomorrow." Ferb straightened up and closed the fridge. "I'm at school tomorrow, then work, followed by my night classes." He said.

Linda looked expectantly at him. "I already told her you'd help." Ferb sighed. "I guess I could rearrange a few things. Make some time…" He nodded. "Fine."

"Don't forget to put your dishes in the sink." Linda called over her shoulder as she left the kitchen, leaving Ferb alone with his thoughts.

***Flashback to when Ferb was eight-years-old***

"Ferb, the basketball bounced into the garage. Go get it!" Phineas called over as he practiced his jump shot with an invisible ball. Ferb ran into the garage and looked around for the ball. He spied it under his mother's car.

He squatted down and pulled on the ball, it didn't budge. He crawled under the car and placed his hands on the ball, trying to pull then push it; the stubborn thing was stuck. Ferb thought that if he could just create a little more room he might be able to dislodge the ball. He placed one hand on the underside of the car and punched the ball with the other. The ball rolled away then Ferb whimpered as pulled his hand off the still hot muffler.

"Boys, time for dinner. Go wash up." Their mother called into the backyard. "Just a second Mom!" Phineas hollered and grabbed Ferb by the hand, pulling him into the house. Ferb continued to whimper as his burned hand was crushed by his brother's grasp.

After dinner Ferb tried to get his mother's attention. "It's your turn to unload the dishwasher." Linda told him. Ferb shook his head and tried to hold his blistering hand. Linda looked down at him. "You have to do your chores. There's no excuses." She said and Ferb shook his head again, adding a soft but firm. "No."

Linda's eyes went wide as she grasped his sore hand and forced him to open the dishwasher. Ferb bowed his head and started to unload the dishwasher. "You are not allowed to talk back to me young man. If I tell you it's time to do your chores, you do them. No excuses."

***End Flashback***

Ferb had a quick bite to eat, then went upstairs and started his homework. After a couple of minutes, there was a soft knock on the door. "Ferb, are you still awake?" Phineas whispered. Ferb rolled his eyes then got up to answer. Phineas stepped into the room and sat on Ferb's bed. "Did I wake you?" Ferb shook his head.

"Oh, good." Phineas nodded and looked up at his brother. "What are you doing up so late?" Ferb raised an eyebrow and glanced to his desk. Phineas followed the gaze. "You're still doing your homework? I would have thought you would've been done hours ago." Ferb blinked then replied. "I've only been home for half an hour."

Phineas took a breath and looked to the floor. "I'll make this quick. Remember how you agreed to build an extension onto the Fireside Girls' lodge; apparently the new troop is much larger than when she was a member." Ferb nodded and Phineas continued. "She made a mistake, she needs that done this weekend, not next. I told her you'd be okay with that."

Phineas looked up in time to see the pained expression on Ferb's face. "Ferb, is something wrong?" Phineas inquired and Ferb sighed then shook his head. Phineas stood up and started to leave. "Ferb, something's bothering you." The taller teen looked over and raised his eyebrow. "I'll let you get your work done." Phineas said and left the room.

The next morning, Phineas awoke and went downstairs for breakfast. "Morning Ferb." He greeted, out of habit, as he stepped into the kitchen. "Ferb's not here." Lawrence replied. "He left an hour ago."

Isabella awoke to the sound of something outside her bedroom window. When she moved the curtains aside, she screamed. One hand flew to cover her mouth and the other grasped the neckline of her nightie. She quickly grabbed her robe and tied it tight, then opened the window. "Ferb! What are you doing outside my window?"

Ferb raised an eyebrow at her then showed her a fist-full of damp leaves and twigs as he descended the ladder. Isabella slammed the window shut, drew the curtains and grabbed her clothes before heading to the bathroom to change. _What on earth is Ferb, of all people, doing outside my bedroom window with a fist-full of dirt?_

Isabella went downstairs for breakfast. "Good morning Isa, did you sleep well?" Vivian inquired of her daughter as she placed a plate of breakfast in front of her. Isabella looked at her mother with anger in her eyes. "Did you know that Ferb is outside my bedroom window?" Vivian laughed. "Yes, though I didn't think he'd be here so early. I thought he would have come by after school to clean out the gutters." Isabella's jaw dropped. "Mother! He saw me in my nightie!" Vivian mirthfully laughed. "Oh, Isa." Isabella glared at her mother who continued. "Did he try to climb in through your window?" Shocked, Isabella shouted. "No! Of course not! I'd never permit that!"

Isabella saw Ferb walk through the backyard with the ladder over his shoulder, she unconsciously clutched the neckline of her dress then turned her attention to her breakfast. "Why didn't you just hire someone to clean out the gutters?"

Vivian went to the back door and called out to Ferb. "I will not be home until after dinner tonight, you can look at the brakes then or possibly this weekend; I'm sure they'll last." She informed him and he nodded.

Isabella dropped her spoon. "Mother. Are you listening to me?" Vivian closed the door and looked at her daughter. "What do you want me to say Isa?" She then crossed the kitchen and picked up her coffee. Isabella scoffed. "Why didn't you ask me if I wanted to clean the gutters or fix your brakes?"

Vivian looked quizzically at her daughter. "Would you like to clean the gutters and fix the brakes on my car?" Isabella rolled her eyes. "No. I don't want to get my hands dirty and I don't know the first thing about cars."

Vivian smiled and sipped from her coffee. "It's settled then."

Isabella finished her breakfast and looked at her watch. "I'm going to be late!" She dashed from the kitchen slipped on her flats and grabbed her bag. She then opened the door and sprinted across the street. "Phineas!" She called out to her boyfriend as he was getting into his truck. "Care to give a girl a ride?"

"Hop in, Isabella." Phineas invited as he opened the passenger door from the inside. Isabella climbed in. "Thanks Phineas." She breathed. Phineas chuckled, "Not a problem. Ferb's taken his car, that means you won't be squished between us."

Isabella tuned and re-tuned the radio while Phineas drove. She paused on a popular song and started to sing along. Phineas drove into the student parking lot and waited for the song to end before turning the truck off. "New favourite song?" He asked her and she blushed.

Isabella finally had a chance to talk to Phineas during English class. They were working on paired projects and the substitute wasn't paying attention. "Phineas, I just thought you should know, your brother was outside my bedroom window this morning." Phineas stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "You're joking. What was he doing outside your window?"

Isabella blushed. "My mom said she asked him to clean out the gutters. She should have asked you." Phineas smirked. "Why? So I could climb in through your window?" Isabella's blush deepened and she tentatively replied, "Maybe."

Between classes, Phineas caught up with his brother. "Hey, Ferb." Ferb sighed and turned around and raised an eyebrow at Phineas. The red-head fell into step with his counterpart. "I was talking with Isabella and…" Phineas paused as he noticed Ferb roll his eyes, he then continued. "... she told me you were looking in through her window this morning."

Ferb cast his gaze to his brother, he was just about to say something when the bell rang. "I'll talk to you later." He said and hurried to his next class.

The final bell of the day rang and Phineas hadn't seen his brother since mid morning. He decided to wait for Ferb at his locker. "Whatcha' doin'?" Isabella called out to him as he passed by her locker. He paused and looked at her. "What happened to your bow?"

Isabella's hand felt the top of her ponytail, she then snapped her fingers. "I took it off for gym class. It's in my purse." Phineas nodded. "You don't want to lose that, it's part of your signature look." This elicited a blush from Isabella.

"So, where were you headed in such a hurry?" Isabella inquired. Phineas shrugged his shoulders then replied. "Just heading to Ferb's locker. I wanted to talk with him about what you said earlier." Isabella nodded in understanding. "Can you give me a lift home?" She asked him and he smiled in return. "Anything for you, Isabella." Phineas replied.

They arrived at Ferb's locker and waited. Minutes passed when Gretchen and Adyson came down the hallway. Isabella looked over and called out to them. "Hey guys!" The two girls smiled and walked over. "Afternoon, Chief." Gretchen greeted. Adyson looked at the locker number. "If you're looking for Ferb, he left almost an hour ago."

Phineas and Isabella looked to each other and shrugged. "I guess I can drive you home now." He said and pulled his keys out of his pocket. Isabella slung her backpack over her shoulder, picked up her purse and walked with him.

Phineas drove back to his house. "That's strange, Ferb should have been home by now." He said and hopped out of the truck before opening the door for Isabella and helping her. Both teens blushed as Isabella's foot slipped on the running board and she fell into Phineas' arms.

Phineas grabbed his backpack and started toward the door. He looked back and noticed Isabella holding onto the truck. "Is something wrong?" He inquired and she nodded. "I might have twisted my ankle." She replied as she tried taking a step. Phineas put his bag down and helped her into the house. "Ferb's got some bandage wraps, just sit here and I'll go find them." He said as he helped her to the couch.

Phineas soon returned, wrap in hand. "Let me help you…" He said as Isabella slipped her flat off. "Let me see, how does he do that?" Phineas pondered as he undid the wrapping and stretched it out. Isabella held her hand out. "Allow me, I didn't earn my 'First Aid' patch for nothing; Adyson made sure of that."

"Hello Isabella," Linda greeted as she noticed the raven-haired girl sitting on the couch. "Oh, dear. What happened?" Isabella smiled as she turned around. "It's nothing, really. I just sprained my ankle getting out of Phin's truck."

Linda left the room and returned a few moments later with an ice pack. "Here you go dear. This will help." Isabella took the offered pack and placed it on her ankle. "Thank you Mrs. Flynn." Linda smiled at the girl. "Not a problem, dear. I'll be right back, I'll get you two some snacks."

Phineas stood up and followed his mother into the kitchen. "Mom, Ferb's car's not in the garage." Linda chucked. "Of course not. He's at practice this afternoon. He'll be home after dinner, would Isabella like to stay? We're having tacos."

Phineas nodded then paused. "Ferb had practice yesterday. He didn't say anything about another today." Linda turned around with two pieces of cake. "Oh, that's right. He's at work. It doesn't matter, he's not home." Phineas nodded, took the plates and went to sit with Isabella.

"Mom's invited you to stay for dinner tonight, we're having tacos." Phineas said after taking a bite of the cake. Isabella smiled. "I'd love to stay for dinner, I just need to call my mom." Phineas nodded. "Okay."

The pair finished their cake and ignored their homework as they sat and talked. The phone rang and Linda came into the living room. "Phineas, what happened to your brother? He didn't show up at work today."

Isabella went home after dinner and Phineas went into the den to start his homework.

* * *

Ferb pulled out of the student parking lot and drove. He had no idea where he was going. He pulled onto the highway and continued driving. Danville behind him and the mountains ahead. He was listening to the radio until the signal died. The trees got thicker as the elevation increased.

Ferb pulled into a small gas station and went inside. He bought himself a drink and a snack. He then got back into the car and drove. He took the exit leading to the state park and continued. The two-lane road became one-lane then just a gravel road. Ferb drove into the parking lot of the state park and parked the car.

He got out, locked up and went for a walk. When the sun started to set, Ferb cursed himself for not bringing his jacket with him. He went back to the car and tried to start it. "Empty?!" He banged his head against the steering wheel.

With a groan Ferb got out of the car and retrieved his bag from the trunk. He pulled out his phone and noticed that the battery was dead. He checked his watch and shook his head. It was dinner time. _I'm supposed to be at work anyhow. There was no way I could go in, I just can't think straight._ He thought to himself as he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

In the dwindling light, Ferb printed out a simple note.

Out of gas.

Cell dead.

Gone back to town.

He placed the note on the dashboard of the Spyder and closed the door. He then dug his heel into the ground and scratched a simple arrow pointing toward the park exit. That was something he overheard Isabella tell her Fireside Girls the day they were earning their 'Trail Marker' patch.

Ferb walked out of the park and down the gravel road. If he remembered correctly the nearest town was twenty minutes away, by car.

The clock in the hall chimed 11:00pm and Linda was sitting in the kitchen waiting for her step-son to arrive home. Half an hour later Linda was still sitting at the kitchen table when the phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered. "Vivian, why are you calling so late?" Linda's eyes went wide as she listened to her friend on the phone. She dashed into the living room, turned on the television then screamed for her husband.

Lawrence came out of the den. "What's wrong love?" He asked gently as he approached her. Linda pointed to the TV, "Isn't that Ferb's car?" She demanded. Lawrence looked at the screen and nodded. "It does have a striking resemblance." He said as he turned up the volume of the news report.

"We are at Adjacent State Park where an abandoned vehicle has been found. It is a silver coloured 1955 Porsche Spyder. Kudos to the one who restored it, you did a fine job." The reporter on scene started interviewing the park ranger. "When did you first suspect that this vehicle was abandoned?" The ranger shook his head then replied. "Well, the park was very busy today, however by dusk most people had left and this car was still here. A couple of hours later, still, no one had come back."

Phineas came down the stairs and heard the news report.

The reporter was talking to the ranger again. "Do you believe that the owner of the vehicle is still in the park?" The ranger was starting to look nervous. "It's a possibility, this is a very large park. It would be easy for someone to fall over a cliff and get swept away in the river currents."

Linda had long forgotten her call until the phone signaled a dead line. She looked at the phone, shaking her head in disbelief. When the doorbell sounded Linda looked up in curiosity as Phineas went to answer the door.

All colour drained from his cheeks as Phineas came back into the living room followed by a State Trooper. "Mom, there's an officer who would like to talk with you." He said, frightened, his voice weak.

"Evening ma'am. I'm Officer Donaldson and I was hoping that a F. Fletcher was home." The State Trooper said. Linda shook her head then replied. "Ferb's not home." She looked to her husband. "That was his car that was found wasn't it?" She asked and Officer Donaldson nodded sadly. "We ran the plates. I was really hoping that Ferb was home and that we could report the car as stolen."

Linda turned to the trooper. "Where's my son?" Officer Donaldson rubbed the back of his neck as he took a breath. He hated this part of his job. "I don't have those answers for you at this time. Does he have a cell phone? Did anyone try to contact him?"

The Flynn-Fletcher family looked to each other. "He was supposed to be at work this afternoon followed by some evening classes he takes." Lawrence spoke up. Phineas took a seat on the couch and pulled out his phone. "He's got a cell, he doesn't use it much." He said as he tried sending a text to his brother.

The trooper talked with Linda and Lawrence for another two hours before leaving.

Phineas didn't sleep at all, he stayed up with his mom and dad. "You've got to get to school son." Lawrence pointed out as he looked through bleary eyes at the clock. "It's 7:30." Phineas shook his head. "What about Ferb?" He whispered back. Linda rested her hand on his head. "We'll call you if we find anything out."

Phineas jumped when he saw Isabella standing at the patio door. He went to open it and she stepped inside. "Whatcha' doin'?" She sang as she tried to look cute for him. Isabella then noticed that the entire family appeared as though they'd not slept. "Just going to get ready for school." Phineas mumbled as he walked into a wall before correcting his step and going upstairs.

Isabella glanced at Lawrence, she'd never seen him look so forlorn, she then turned back and followed Phineas up the steps. "Phin? What's going on?" She called through the closed bedroom door. "Nothing." Came the most pitiful reply she'd ever heard from the most optimistic person she knew. Worried for her boyfriend, she opened the door and found him curled up on his bed. "Phineas?" She inquired gently as she stepped into the room. "Phineas, are you okay?"

Phineas glanced up, then quickly away as he shook his head. Isabella walked further into the room and sat beside him. "You know, the way you're acting I'd swear someone died." She tried being lighthearted. Phineas sat up and looked at her. "You should be heading to school, you'll be late." He replied quietly. Isabella looked at him curiously. "What happened? Where's your brother?" She asked and Phineas couldn't help himself; he broke down.

Isabella sat beside him not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say. "We've got that Math test today." She pointed out. Phineas abruptly stood up and left the room. Isabella heard him call out to his parents. "I'm not feeling well, can I stay home?" There was a beat before Isabella heard Lawrence reply. "I'd rather you not, but if you feel you must."

Phineas came back into the room. "I'm not going to school today." He said bluntly. "I… I can't. I have to know what happened." Isabella continued to perch on his bed. "What happened?" She then noticed that Phineas was putting on a brave face. "Phineas?" She prompted.

Phineas shook his head. "Please leave." He said, his voice shaking. Isabella got up and hugged him, but he gently pushed her away. "No Isabella, just go." He said showing her to the door and closing it behind her.

Isabella went downstairs and heard Linda and Lawrence in the kitchen. "I'll take your place at the shop today." Linda said "I'm sure everything will be all right." Isabella then walked into the kitchen. "Excuse me, but what has Phineas so upset?" Lawrence shook his head as he turned his back to everyone. Linda looked fondly at the girl. "I'll drive you to school, come on."

Isabella looked out the passenger window of the car. "Mrs. Flynn? What happened to Phineas?" Linda didn't answer for a moment. "I might as well tell you. Ferb didn't go to work yesterday, or come home last night. His car was found abandoned."


	2. Chapter 2

Throughout the day Isabella was asked the same question by numerous people. "Where's Phineas? He said that Ferb would help with-" fill in the blank. She was starting to think that maybe she knew part of what happened.

At lunch, Isabella took her seat at their table in the cafeteria. Adyson soon arrived followed by the rest of the girls. Katie was the last to arrive. "So, are we all attending the Jubilee for past and present Fireside Girls?" Everyone nodded and Katie continued. "Isabella, you told Phineas to tell Ferb that the extension needed to be completed this weekend right?" Isabella nodded sadly. "Yeah, I mentioned it. Though, maybe we should just build it ourselves. We know what we're doing."

Everyone looked at her as though she had grown an extra head. Gretchen was the one to speak up. "It's not that we don't know what we're doing," she said, as she looked at the rest of the girls, "it's just that we've got other commitments we need to take care of." She finished. The girls nodded in agreement. "Besides, we don't want to ruin our nails." Holly chimed in.

Isabella looked at each of the girls and shook her head. "I know we all have clubs and activities we belong to, but does anyone know if Ferb's got any commitments? It seems that everyone has demanded pieces of his time, not taking into consideration that he might not be able to help?" Katie and Milly started to laugh. "Both Phineas and Ferb will help anyone who asks. It's in their nature to help." That was Milly, Katie built on that. "You keep Phineas quite busy outside of school. Ferb doesn't have a girlfriend so he's got all the time in the world."

Adyson and Gretchen looked to the table, then Adyson spoke. "I asked Ferb if he could fix my car last week. Once he took a look at it, he said he needed to order a couple of extra parts. He hasn't gotten back to me yet. I was going to ask him about it this morning, but he wasn't in class." Everyone, except Isabella, stopped eating and looked at her. Gretchen shook her head. "Ferb wasn't in class? That's unusual." Ginger nodded. "Come to think of it, I didn't see Phineas this morning either."

Isabella took a quick sip of her drink. "Phineas wasn't feeling well, he stayed home." She replied quietly. All eyes turned to her. "Is he okay? What happened? I hope this doesn't ruin your plans for the weekend." Isabella offered a small smile to the girls. "I don't know girls. This morning he was…" she trailed off trying to put into words what she saw, "...not himself."

Milly and Katie shared a quick glance. "I think whatever Phineas has is contagious, Isabella's acting strange today." Milly said as the two girls moved further away from Isabella. Gretchen looked toward Ginger who looked at Adyson. Gretchen spoke up. "It's okay Chief, I'm sure Phineas will be feeling better in no time." She tried to cheer up her friend.

Isabella offered Gretchen a fleeting smile. "I hope so, but that all depends on…" She trailed off, not wanting to tell them. This should come from Phineas. Gretchen cocked her head to the side, waiting for her to finish. "Isabella?" The shorter girl asked and Isabella shook her head. "Nothing." She replied with a fake smile.

Lawrence sat at the kitchen table holding a photograph of his son. Phineas walked in and sat across the table from him. "Have you heard anything?" Lawrence shook his head but didn't look up. "Nothing." He couldn't keep the despair out of his voice. Phineas nodded then tried speaking again, but nothing came out.

When the doorbell sounded Lawrence got up and went to answer it. Phineas watched from the doorway between the kitchen and living room.

Lawrence opened the door. "May I help you?" He asked the State Trooper as he let the other man into the house. The trooper took his hat off. "Good afternoon sir, I'm Officer Anderson." Lawrence nodded and indicated the officer could follow him further into the house.

Officer Anderson looked over at Phineas who continued to stand in the doorway, then turned his attention back to Lawrence. "Mister Fletcher, we've finished examining your son's car. Would you like us to return it to you?" Lawrence nodded solemnly. The trooper made a notation. "I'm sorry, we've not found him yet. There are search parties going through the park as we speak." Lawrence nodded again, unable to speak.

The doorbell sounded again. "I'll get that." Phineas said quietly and went to open the door. Another officer stood there. "I'm officer FitzGerald, I need to speak to the parent of a F. Fletcher." Phineas tried to look beyond the officer but couldn't, he nodded and invited the officer in. "Excuse me sir," Phineas tried to keep his voice steady, "...do you know where my brother is?" Officer FitzGerald shook his head.

After school, Isabella and the girls went to her house. It was Friday and they were getting everything organized for the Jubilee next weekend. As they walked down Maple Drive, they noticed two police cruisers in front of the Flynn-Fletcher house. "What's going on?" Ginger inquired. Isabella shook her head, and slowly replied. "I don't know."

The girls were sitting in the living room and Vivian brought out some chips and salsa. She then looked out the front window. "Oh dear." Isabella looked up at her mother. "Do you know what happened Mama?" Vivian looked sadly to her daughter. "Si, Ferb's car was found at Adjacent State Park last night, abandoned. He's missing and everyone thinks he's dead."

The girls turned to look out the window. "I can't believe that." Adyson whispered. "Did anyone say how? Or Why?" Vivian shook her head. "It appears that he drove there sometime yesterday afternoon and left his car. He's not been seen nor heard from since." She said then went back to the kitchen leaving the girls alone. "Poor Phineas." They chorused.

A couple of hours later, the girls stopped whispering amongst themselves when they saw Linda's car pull into the driveway. She got out of the car and entered her house.

"Would you girls like something for dinner?" Vivian poked her nose into the living room. Isabella looked around at everyone shaking their heads. "No thanks Mama. I guess we're not hungry." They went back to whispering amongst themselves only to stop when another police cruiser pulled up in front of the neighbour's house, followed by a flat-bed tow truck with Ferb's Spyder.

The girls continued to look out the window. They collectively gasped when they saw Phineas come out of the house and accept the car. They watched as he unlocked the driver's door and slipped inside. "Ferb's going to kill him." Milly whispered. "Yeah." The rest of the girls acknowledged and continued to watch.

Phineas sighed as he sat in the driver's seat of the roadster, running his hands over the smooth leather steering wheel. He then bent over and picked up a piece of paper from the floor. It was a note, his eyes teared as he read Ferb's neat printing . "It must have slipped when he closed the door."

Phineas put the key in the ignition and tried to turn it over. He took a look at the gauges, "How could you let your car run out of gas?" Phineas got out of the car and jumped off the flat-bed. He ran into the garage and brought out a jerry can and proceeded to empty its contents into the gas tank on the front of the car. He then got back into the car and tried to put the car into reverse.

After a couple of attempts, and a little grinding of the gears, Phineas managed to get the Spyder into reverse and carefully backed off the truck and into the driveway. He got out of the car, and with a smile and wave toward Isabella, went to check the trunk of the car. He then closed the hood and walked to the front of the car and opened the trunk.

Isabella and the girls were watching out the front window. "He looks good in that car." Isabella sighed. "I wonder if he'll be able to drive it." She finished. Ginger whipped her head around and stared at her friend. Gretchen turned around and started heading for the stairs. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She declared and Adyson turned around. "I'll go with you."

Isabella watched as Phineas ran his hand along the car's lines before turning to go into the house. Vivian brought out some sandwiches, placing them on the coffee table, for the girls to eat. She then proceeded to speak to Isabella in Spanish. "Isa, you shouldn't be spying on the neighbours like that. They've lost a member of their family, you should be more respectful." Isabella waved her mother off.

Vivian suggested the girls sit in the back yard. "Okay Mama." Isabella reluctantly agreed and lead the girls out. "I wish we could see what was going on." Isabella mused. Ginger had her phone out and was looking through the local news sites to see if there was any word; Gretchen and Adyson looking over her shoulders. Holly, Milly and Katie were sitting on the pool deck, their feet splashing softly in the water.

No one noticed the patio door open. "Isa, there's someone here to see you." Vivian called out and all the girls looked up and saw Phineas standing there. Isabella sprang to her feet and rushed up to him, flinging her arms around his neck. Phineas' arms wound around her, pulling her close.

Isabella looked into his eyes. "Why are you here?" She asked him. Phineas pulled her closer. "Remember how I said that Ferb would help build the extension on the Fireside Girls' lodge?" Isabella nodded and Phineas continued. "I'll build it for you."

Isabella released him. "Why? We were supposed to go out tomorrow." Phineas looked sadly at her. "That's another thing. I don't feel up to taking you out tomorrow." Isabella took a couple of steps back and raised her voice. "You don't want to go out with me?" The rest of the girls looked up at her.

Phineas held his hands up defensively. "That's not what I'm saying." Isabella was crying, trails of mascara streaking her cheeks. "Then what are you saying?" She screamed. Phineas was obviously upset as well, but he had to try to make her understand. "I'm saying that I'm worried about my brother. We've not heard from him and no one can tell us anything. Do you have any idea how many police officers have been to the house in the past twenty-four hours? We don't want to open the door anymore for fear that the next officer will tell us that we have to identify Ferb's body."

Adyson stood up and walked over to Phineas and hugged him. "I don't know what to say except, I'm sorry." The rest of the girls took turns offering him a few words of encouragement and a quick hug. Gretchen was the last to step up to him. Her hands were clasped in front of her as she looked at the patio. "I want you to take care of yourself. No matter what happens."

Phineas hugged her. "Thank you. You take care too." He released her and made his way to the Garcia-Shapiro's back gate. He paused and looked over his shoulder. "I'll finish that extension for you tomorrow, Isabella." He said as he tried to make eye contact with her; she didn't look at him. Phineas opened the gate and quietly closed it behind himself.

"Who wants to sleep over tonight?" Isabella asked her friends. No one could stay, and by 11pm Isabella was alone in her room; looking out the window. There were four police cruisers parked across the street and she could see another one turning onto Maple Drive.

Lawrence was standing in his backyard looking up at the night sky when Phineas stepped up beside him and asked, "What now?" Lawrence shook his head. "I don't know, son. I just don't know." Phineas nodded and stood beside his step-father in silence.

A minute later Lawrence broke the silence. "I'm searching for answers to questions I can't ask." Phineas nodded. "So am I." They both heard another car come to a stop just outside the gate, it's doors closing. Lawrence hung his head and muttered something about how all this not knowing is going to kill him.

The back gate opened and an officer stepped through. "Lawrence Fletcher?" Lawrence visibly shrank when his name was called, he then looked up and started crying. The officer nudged the green-haired teen forward. Lawrence rushed over and embraced his son.


End file.
